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Information for Incoming LGBTQ Students

If you are in the LGBTQ community, there are specific questions and qualifications you may have for your potential college or university. Below are LGBTQ-specific details about Point Park University for incoming students. 

Applying to Point Park University

  • The application will ask your gender and currently offers only male and female options. Once a student has matriculated to the University, they can fill a form out in the Registrar’s office when choosing to transition from gender to gender.

Campus Name Declaration (Preferred Name)

Any student who prefers to be addressed by a name other than their legal name may submit a request via Point Web digital form, in person in the Registrar's office, or via email to the Office of the Registrar.  The digital form can be found here: Preferred Name Change

A campus prefered name can be used on a Pioneer ID Card, University email, class rosters, and correspondence between University Offices. A student's legal name must be used for federal, state, or other government agency documentation that requires it, such as a state-issued ID and your official student transcript. 

Information on change of address and name changes can be found through the University Registrar webpage.

When a Legal Name Must be Used 

  • Reports to federal, State and other government agencies that may verify the identity of students by using the legal name.
  • Any documentation in which the law requires the use of a legal name.
  • National Center for Transgender Equality provides a continuously-updated resource for name and gender change information for all states.

Housing

  • When you fill out your housing questionnaire to register for on-campus housing, there are six gender options: male, female, transitioning to male, transitioning to female, non-binary, and other. You can select the one that is most comfortable for you, regardless of your legal gender.
  • Selecting “male” or “transitioning to male” will put you in the male roommate pool and selecting “female” or “transitioning to female” will put you in the female roommate pool.
  • There is a question on the housing form that states "I am willing to live with a roommate who self-identifies as transgender" with a yes or no option. If you select either "transitioning to male" or "transitioning to female" as your gender option, you will only get paired with a roommate who has selected "yes" to that question.
  • You are able to select your own roommate, regardless of gender identity. Please note, if you do not select your own roommate, you will be housed with a roommate in the same gender identity pool.
  • If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Student Life at 412-392-8026.

Bathrooms

All Gender Restrooms image with the locations of restrooms around campus.

  • Point Park allows anyone to use whichever bathroom is most comfortable for them. There are also several gender-neutral bathrooms around campus, marked with an R on the map key.
  • If you live on campus, you will either have a private bathroom in your room or suite (Lawrence Hall, Conestoga Hall, and Boulevard Apartments) or a community bathroom (Thayer Hall). The community bathrooms are by gender, but operate under the same system - you may use whichever bathroom you feel most comfortable in.

Discrimination

Medical care

  • Allies for Health + Wellbeing, formerly the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force (PATF), envisions a healthier community whereby all individuals access integrated medical care and supportive human services in a respectful setting, free of stigma and discrimination. 
    Contact: 412-345-7456
  • Central Outreach Wellness Center promotes wellness in the community by fostering their patient's whole self.  COWC's focus is on culturally competent care by striving to understand what their client's needs are and how COWC can treat them holistically. 
    Contact: 412-322-4151
  • Persad Center is a human service organization whose mission is to improve the well-being of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in western PA.
    Contact: 412-441-9786
  • UMPC has a Gender & Sexual Development clinic that offers LGBTQ-specific and -inclusive medical care to patients up to age 26. They can work with you to find a LGBTQ-friendly doctor or to coordinate HRT or gender affirmation surgery.
  • Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage is through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Highmark Commercial Medical Policy search page can be used to view their Gender Affirmation Surgery Policy.  Please note that coverage of any medical service or procedure is subject to the terms of the plan.  

Mental health

  • Therapists at the University Counseling Center (UCC) at Point Park respect and value each person as a unique individual. They offer a safe and supportive space for students who identify as LGBTQ+ to navigate the challenges of exploring and integrating their gender and sexual identities.
  • Therapists at the UCC can help you connect with Persad Center, a local organization that offers group, couple, and individual counseling on a sliding scale payment system. They also offer different support groups for various identities.

Student Involvement

  • There is an active LGBTQIA student organization on campus called the Gender & Sexuality Spectrum Alliance (GSSA).
  • GSSA is for LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) students, and their allies, to come together in a safe space where they can learn about issues going on within the LGBTQIA community, as well as supporting each other on their paths to discovering who they truly are.  

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